


Êtes-vous prêts?

by supersapphics



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, F/F, Fencing, sapphics with swords
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-01
Updated: 2019-06-01
Packaged: 2020-04-06 01:27:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,567
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19052467
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/supersapphics/pseuds/supersapphics
Summary: Helen and Aline take the same fencing class at their university and sparks fly.





	Êtes-vous prêts?

**Author's Note:**

> I don't know anything about fencing!! I'm sorry if you read this and you do. I did read the entire Wikipedia article and try to focus on only using moves done with a foil, but I'm not sure if I succeeded.
> 
> The title is French for "are you ready", which, according to the Wiki article, is a phrase used in fencing. I decided I'm pretentious enough to use a French title lol. 
> 
> Dedicated to Mara because we were discussing a "swords with sapphics" fic the other day and so of course I had to write this for her!

“Why did I sign up for this class,” Helen mutters to herself as she looks around the room. She doesn’t know anything about fencing! She’d only decided to take this class because the choices had been this and archery, and archery had seemed boring in comparison.

But now that she’s here and looking at the outfit and the foil, she’s thinking that maybe she had made a mistake.

“Ok, ladies, put your masks on so we can begin!” the instructor, who had introduced herself earlier as Catarina, calls to the room.

Sighing, Helen pulls her mask on and waits for further instructions.

“Please turn to the person closest to you; they will be your partner for today,” Catarina continues.

Helen turns and sees another woman approaching her. “I’m Aline,” the other woman says. “Do you have fencing experience?”

“Helen, and no, I’m a fencing virgin,” Helen answers, then winces when she realizes the unintentional phallic joke she’s just made.

“Well, not for much longer,” Aline replies, and Helen almost chokes, not sure if she’s imagining the flirtatious tone in the other woman’s voice.

“Do you know a lot about fencing?” Helen asks.

“A little, but I’m still an amateur. I guess we can learn together.”

Helen feels a smile spreading across her face. “Yeah, I guess we can.”

“So, today we’ll be practicing with the foil,” Catarina explains. “The target you’ll be aiming for while using a foil is the torso of your opponent. You can only use the tip of the foil to score hits. There’s more, but let’s focus on that for now. Now let’s see what you’ve got.”

Helen tenses up, not sure what to expect, but Aline is gentle with her (that pun was intended).

Aline moves forward, her foil aimed at Helen’s torso, and Helen automatically raises her own foil to block the attack. Their two foils lightly clang together instead and Helen feels a flash of pride at what she’s accomplished.

Then things get more serious. Aline suddenly lunges forward and Helen, startled, raises her foil to parry the attack, but Aline seems to have been anticipating that, because she manages to pivot her foil in a way that forces it underneath Helen’s. The tip of Aline’s foil comes close to touching Helen’s stomach but not quite, and Aline’s quick moment of hesitation when she realizes she’d fallen short of the mark gives Helen the opportunity to force Aline’s foil back down.

“I thought you were an amateur,” Helen accuses, making sure to keep her voice light so Aline knows she isn’t actually mad.

“I am, but I tend to get a bit competitive, sorry,” Aline replies. “I hope you’ll allow to me to say that you’re really good for a complete beginner.”

“I will allow that, thank you.”

“All right, that’s enough for today,” Catarina calls. “You may remove your masks.”

Helen removes her mask and looks up only to lose her breath. She hadn’t noticed Aline earlier, having been too caught up in her own anxiety, but now that she has the chance to look – well. Aline is stunning. She has long dark hair pulled back in a high ponytail and a small smile playing on her mouth as she stares directly at Helen.

“Thanks for being my partner,” Aline says. “I noticed you earlier and you looked kind of nervous and, I don’t know, it was cute.”

“Cute?” Helen repeats, not sure she’s heard correctly. “Me being nervous looked cute to you?”

“Yeah,” Aline admits. “Is that ok?”

“It’s more than ok.”

“Good.” Aline’s smile has widened by now to take over her whole face. “Well, I have to get going, because I have another class all the way across campus that starts in ten minutes, but…I’ll see you Wednesday?”

“You bet,” Helen promises.

Aline flashes her a big beaming smile over her shoulder before she departs. Helen looks back down at her foil, which she’s been holding in a death grip ever since Aline had removed her mask. “Correction,” she tells herself. “Taking this class was the best idea I’ve ever had.”

 

 

Lunge. Feint. Parry. Aline is relentless, but Helen loves it, and even though she’s still not quite a match, she’s giving it her all.

“Team B, practice your beat attack,” Catarina announces to the room. Helen twists her wrist to beat the tip of her foil against Aline’s; then, while Aline is preoccupied with attempting to parry the attack, Helen whips her foil away and attempts to place the tip on a part of Aline’s torso.

“Team A, disengage!” Catarina says.

Aline is quicker than Helen, though, and blocks Helen’s movements, then begins moving her foil in circular movements around Helen’s, distracting Helen as she tries to deflect the perceived attack.

Then she suddenly remembers a term she’d read yesterday while studying. It’s called the flick technique and she hasn’t had a chance to try it out yet. They haven’t practiced it in class so far and Catarina hasn’t actually allowed any of them to use it yet, but she can’t help herself.

The foil is extremely flexible and can therefore be bent like a whip. By doing this, it would be possible for the person performing the flick technique to land a hit on their target – in theory. Helen has never tried this and therefore isn’t sure it will even work, but what does she have to lose?

She feints to the left, and when Aline is distracted, thinking she needs to protect her left side, Helen lets the tip of the foil curve over and presses it to the right side of Aline’s lower stomach.

Aline freezes and Helen does too. There’s a tense moment where neither of them says anything, and then Aline chuckles. “That’s a point for you,” she says.

Before Helen can respond, she’s cut off by Catarina announcing that class is over and that she’ll see them on Monday. Helen pulls off her mask and is startled when she meets Aline’s gaze and sees the other woman staring at her intensely.

“Are you busy right now?” Aline asks. “Do you have a class or anything?”

“No, this is my last class of the day. You have another class in ten minutes though, right?”

“I do, but I’ll blow it off if you want to get something to eat with me at the café in the humanities library.”

“Sure,” Helen replies, thrilled. “And I can get us discounts too, because I work there.”

“You do? That’s my favorite café on campus, but I’ve never seen you there.”

“I only work evenings,” Helen explains.

“Well, that’s good to know,” Aline murmurs, her voice full of intent, and Helen doesn’t think she can be blamed for the little shiver that goes through her.

“By the way, I’m sorry I didn’t ask you out after class on Monday,” Aline continues as they finish removing their protective clothing. “I really did have to rush to class because we had an exam, but I promised myself I wasn’t going to leave today without asking you out.”

“It’s ok. I mean, we’re going out now, so that’s all that matters,” Helen answers.

Aline beams at her, and Helen also didn’t think she can blamed for barely hearing Catarina when she compliments her on her flick technique when she’s looking at something as stunningly gorgeous as Aline smiling at her like that.

 

 

“So, you’re good at fencing despite having only taken two classes, you’re majoring in biology and are considering becoming pre-med…is there anything about you that isn’t super impressive?” Aline asks.

Helen blushes and then quickly takes a sip of her hot cocoa in an attempt to hide it. “Me? What about you? You claim to be a fencing amateur but you’re already pretty great from what I can tell, and you’re planning to become a human rights lawyer. That’s impressive if you ask me.”

Aline grins. “So how about we’re both impressive, huh?”

“That’s fine with me,” Helen concedes. “So why did you decide to take a fencing class?”

“It’s simple,” Aline says, shrugging. “I’m a lesbian and I figured I should have a sword. I mean, it’s a foil, not a sword, but still. It’s a trope I wanted to support. What about you?”

“Archery didn’t seem sapphic enough,” Helen responds, and is rewarded with Aline’s delighted laughter.

“I’m so glad we both decided to take fencing. Now, what are we going to decide about this cookie? It’s the last one left.”

“You can have it,” Helen offers, even though she actually really wants it for herself.

Aline picks up the cookie and then breaks it in half. She sets her half down and then holds out the other piece to Helen.

Helen, pleased, takes the cookie, making sure to brush her fingers against Aline’s as much as possible as she does so. Aline obviously notices what she’s doing and grins over at her.

They both bite into their cookie halves, their eyes locked on each other as they do so, and Helen feels goosebumps erupt all over her skin – again. That seems to be a common occurrence when she’s in Aline’s company, but she doesn’t mind in the slightest.

Once again, she feels grateful that she decided to that fencing class, which led her to Aline, the girl who shares her cookies and makes her shiver in the best way possible.


End file.
